Feb. 12, 2013

CBI MAC preview

MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

Inside: With Kent State's George Roberts

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

phil@collegebaseballinsider.com @roadtoomaha

George Roberts is a senior first baseman from Summerhill, Pa. He played in 65 games with 64 starts, leading the team with a batting average of .364. Roberts had 23 doubles, eight homers, 45 runs and 66 RBI.

Roberts helped KSU go 47-20 overall, including 19-2 at home, and 24-3 in the Mid-American Conference. The Golden Flashes won the Gary Regional after surviving a 21-inning affair in the regional opener against Kentucky. KSU then downed host Purdue and beat Kentucky for a second time to capture the regional title. The Golden Flashes then took two of three at Oregon to win the Eugene Super Regional and advance to the College World Series for the first time in program history. KSU fell to Arkansas in its first game in Omaha, bounced back to defeat No. 1 national seed Florida before falling to South Carolina to end the season.

1. What do you remember most from the 21-inning victory over Kentucky to open the 2012 Gary Regional?

What I remember most about the 21-inning victory was when a Kentucky hitter smoked a ball to dead center with a runner on first. The ball went to the wall and the runner on first (who was the winning run) came all the way around, we had a perfect relay home and Jimmy Rider threw the ball to David Lyon to save the game and possibly our season.

2. Describe the postseason ride by the Golden Flashes, going all the way to Omaha.

The ride was amazing to say the least. I still can’t believe how far we made it. It was the best time I have had playing baseball and I’ll never forget that team. Going to a powerhouse school like Oregon and playing in that atmosphere was great. The city of Omaha and the people there were friendly and made us feel like home. Playing at TD Ameritrade in front of that crowd is something that we will never forget.

3. How important was it for the program to get a win over Florida in the College World Series?

It was definitely very important for us to get a win at the College World Series especially against the Number 1 team in the country. We had to prove to everybody that we belonged in Omaha and that win really signified that. I feel that win got our school on the map and showed that we can compete against the best college baseball has to offer.

4. Were you surprised and/or disappointed not to be drafted last summer?

I was disappointed about last years draft but I feel that it motivated me even more for this year. I have put a lot of hard work in the summer and this fall to better prepare myself for this season. It’s my senior year and I plan to show the scouts that I can play at the next level.

5. What is Kent State’s outlook for the 2013 season?

We have many goals as a team but our biggest one is to get back to Omaha and win a National Championship. We lost some key players from last year but we have a bunch of guys that are willing to step into those bigger roles this season. This team is very close this year and everyone is ready to contribute. Our pitching is very deep and talented and I feel our defense and offense will be very good as well.

(photos courtesy of KSU Media Relations)